Caltex Socceroos number one Maty Ryan faces the potent attack of European Champions Liverpool in the early hours of Sunday morning AEDT.
Ryan and Aussie teammate Aaron Mooy travel to the home of the runaway Premier League leaders, Anfield, hoping to spring an upset against Jürgen Klopp, Mohamed Salah and company.
Brighton & Hove Albion have lost their last two league matches, against Leicester City and Manchester United, after an impressive run of three wins in four games leading into November.
That strong form earned head coach Graham Potter a new six-year contract at the AMEX Stadium this week.
Mooy has regained his place in the line-up after returning from suspension, starting the past three matches.
Ryan has been named in all 13 of the south-coast side’s Premier League matches in 2019/20, where Brighton have collected 15 points to sit in 12th place in a congested ladder.
Potter’s men are closer to fifth place than they are to the drop zone but getting a result, at 2am AEDT on Sunday, 1 December, against a Reds juggernaut that have only dropped two points from 39 will be a huge test of the Seagulls’ mettle.
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Caltex Socceroos square off in Championship
Jackson Irvine’s Hull City, who are coming off the back of a 4-0 midweek win against Preston, will travel to Kenny Dougall’s Barnsley aiming to keep the momentum building.
The convincing win saw the Tigers surge up to ninth place, while Barnsley are playing catch up, five points adrift at the bottom of the Championship ladder.
The appointment of Austrian coach Gerhard Struber has given the Tykes a lift, although they did fall 1-0 to fellow strugglers Middlesbrough in midweek.
Also at 2am AEDT on Sunday, Adam Federici’s second-bottom Stoke City host Blackburn Rovers, and Bailey Wright’s playoff-chasing Bristol City entertain Huddersfield Town.
Massimo Luongo and Sheffield Wednesday get the weekend up and running against Charlton Athletic at the Valley at 11.30pm on Saturday.
In the FFA Cup Second Round, Harry Souttar and Fleetwood Town take a 15km trip down the Lancashire coast to Blackpool at 1am AEDT on Monday, 2 December.
Taggart goes for finishing touch on Golden Boot
Fresh off his double in his last Suwon Bluewings outing, and his match-winner for the Caltex Socceroos in Jordan, Adam Taggart aims to lock up the K-League Golden Boot against Sangju Sangmu.
It’s the final game of the 2019 season and Taggart has hit 20 goals in 32 matches since his move from Hyundai A-League outfit Brisbane Roar.
The 26-year-old has has a two-goal lead over Ulsan Hyundai’s Brazilian, Junior Negrão, in the Golden Boot standings and five goals more than his next nearest challenger.
Taggart laces up the shooting boots at 5pm AEDT on Saturday, but he will not know if he is the first Australian to win the K-League’s top scorer prize until Negrão plays for Ulsan at 5pm AEDT on Sunday.
Over in the Middle East, Craig Goodwin’s Al-Wehda are in King Cup of Champions action against Al-Khaleej on Wednesday, 4 December at 2.15am AEDT.
Rounding off the APAC region, Mitchell Duke is in action for Western Sydney Wanderers against Newcastle Jets in the Hyundai A-League on Saturday at 7.30pm AEDT.
Caltex Socceroos collide as Rhyan Grant and Andrew Redmayne of Sydney FC go up against Western United’s Josh Risdon on Sunday at GMHBA stadium at 4pm AEDT.
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Fresh start under Klinsmann for Leckie
Matthew Leckie will be keen to impress new Hertha Berlin head coach Jürgen Klinsmann after the German football icon took charge of the Bundesliga strugglers on Thursday.
The Old Lady’s 4-0 defeat by Augsburg on Monday was the final straw for ex-coach Ante Covic.
Leckie has started one game and made three substitute appearances n 2019/20, as the 28-year-old gets set for a fresh start under the former German national team chief.
Hertha, who lie in 15th spot in the ladder, play host to sixth-placed Borussia Dortmund on Sunday at 1.30am AEDT.
Only three points separate Brandon Borello’s fourth-placed Freiburg SC from Bundesliga leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The high-fliers meet in a top-of-the-table clash at Borussia Park on Monday at 1.30am AEDT.
Across to Scotland, Premiership leaders Celtic are on the road against Ross County on Sunday at 11pm AEDT.
Tom Rogic sat out of the midweek 3-1 UEFA Europa League win against French club Rennes, so could be set to return for Neil Lennon’s men.
Martin Boyle played 40 minutes of Hibernian’s 2-1 win at St Mirren on Wednesday. That’s the most game-time the Caltex Socceroos attacker has logged since his return from a three-month injury layoff.
Boyle will seek to build on that when Hibs face Kilmarnock at Easter Road on Sunday at 2am AEDT.
Austria Vienna will try to extend their three-match unbeaten run when Jimmy Jeggo’s side face Hartberg at 3am AEDT on Sunday at Generali Arena.
Ajdin Hrustic and Groningen FC can improve their top-half Eredivise position in the Netherlands with a positive result at Fortuna Sittard on Sunday at 5.45am AEDT.
Mabil and Degenek out to extend leads
Awer Mabil and FC Midtjylland can tighten their grip at the top of the Danish Superliga on Tuesday, 3 December at 5am AEDT.
The Caltex Socceroos attacker hit the decisive goal in last week’s 2-1 win at Odense, his third goal of the season.
The Wolves entertain rock bottom Silkeborg at the MCH Arena and hold a seven-point lead over second-placed FC Copenhagen.
Elswhere in Denmark, Mustafa Amini’s fourth-placed AGF travel to second-bottom Esbjerg on Monday at 2am AEDT.
Red Star Belgrade also command a seven-point lead at the summit of the Serbian SugerLiga.
Milos Degenek’s side also boast a game in hand over second-place Vojvodina and, this weekend, Crvena Zvedza face Vozdovac at the Red Star Stadium.
The table-toppers look for their 15th win from 17 league matches in 2019/20 at 4am AEDT on Sunday.
AEK Larnaca and Apostolos Giannou welcome Cypriot First Division leaders Anorthosis Famagusta to the AEK Arena.
The fourth-placed side aim to close the six-point gap at the top at 3am AEDT on Sunday.
Coming off a 3-0 UEFA Europa League defeat to Roma in midweek, Aziz Behich’s İstanbul Başakşehir match up against Antalyaspor at the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium in the Turkish Süper Lig.
The chase is on for Israeli Premier League second-placed side Maccabi Haifa. Trent Sainsbury’s club go to Hapoel Hadera on Monday at 5am AEDT, three points behind leaders Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
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